The Set Up

Those of you who know me personally know that I have had a real roller coaster ride in my professional career since the implosion of Arthur Andersen. It seems I have had the worst luck when it comes to the number of sweeping layoffs and timing that anyone could have. But my luck is nothing compared to the story of a man named Lazarus found in John 11.

I remember very distinctly driving home from my last day at my last job. I was just notified, without any advanced notice that the region I led for the oil field services company was being merged with another and I was the new guy and odd man out. I had just accepted this position four months earlier and couldn’t have felt I could find a better job for me. On one of the freeway exit ramps, I said, “Ok, God. I don’t get this. Why didn’t you keep this from happening?” After all, I am a faithful servant, tither and generous giver. Why does stuff like this happen to me? I felt very distinctly and with as much love and compassion He knew I would receive, I heard Him say, “I know you don’t get this. But if you had enough faith you wouldn’t need to understand.” Gosh, I hate it when that happens.

You see, I had already had enough witness about keeping a good attitude while being unemployed and we really considered this last job to be a gift from God. I had no oil field services operations experience yet was hired to lead an entire region. The job came as the economy was dropping like a rock and the energy industry was slowing tremendously. It sure didn’t make worldly sense that I got that job.

So back to the parallel from the story of Lazarus. About a week after I was laid off, I was playing Bible roulette and opened it up to John 11. Please read that story since I am not going to put it all down here. Here is what struck me about the story. Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary. He knew that Lazarus was sick but didn’t come to his rescue before he died. At least three times in the story, the people in the story said that Jesus could have kept this from happening had he been there. This is exactly how I felt. How many times have we said, “God? Where were you and why did you let this happen?” As believers, we so much want to be spared the pain of life. After all, we are believers in the God of the universe so we know He could keep anything from happening with just a word. But if he healed Lazarus when he was just sick would that have been a miracle. Surely not in today’s society. It would be called medicine.

So the story goes on that Jesus calls Lazarus from the grave four days after he has been dead. A good friend of mine likes to say that he surely stinketh by then. I know that when I go through tough times, after a certain amount of time, I begin to reek of my troubles. But Jesus called him out from the dead and Lazarus appears from the grave.

How much can you relate to how Lazarus’ friends felt? If Jesus had just come when he was notified, this never would have happened. But neither would the miracle. God still performs miracles for us every day. However, it is easy to forget that miracles can’t happen unless there is a crisis. If there is any way that we can explain something in worldly terms, we will do it. Even the strongest of believers fall into this trap. I know I sure do. So the next time a hardship falls on you, start looking for the ways that God will turn this into good in your life or in someone else’s life. Feel honored that He has chosen you to tell the story of how God performs great works in your life. Feel trusted by God to use this hardship in your life to spread His good news. You can bet Lazarus told a few people about what happened to him.